Casting director Eddie Foy III, whose credits include “Happy Days” and the Emmy Awards, died after a fall on Nov. 3, his publicist confirmed. He was 83.
Foy had been a casting director for more than 42 years. He worked with Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems, 20th Century Fox, and Dick Clark Productions. He served as director of casting for ABC and vice president of casting for NBC. Some of his credits include “Gidget,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Mork and Mindy,” “The Monkees,” “Happy Days,” the first two “Roots” installments, and the Emmy Awards.
He completed his career as a longstanding independent casting director and talent executive for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Foy’s most recent honor was his unanimous selection by the Academy of Television Arts and Science, Archives Division, as the most influential casting director in TV the last 42 years and for his contributions to the advancement of television casting.
Foy was born in New York City on Feb. 10, 1953, to film, TV, and Broadway star Eddie Foy Jr. and his wife Anna Marie McKenny. His grandfather was Eddie Foy Sr. of the Vaudeville act, the Seven Little Foys.
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He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Jan; his daughter and son-in-law; two stepchildren; and two grandchildren. Life celebrations for Foy will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Corona Friends Church in Corona, California, and on Monday, Nov. 12 at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles.
